Off the Richter
by Fishin4DP
Summary: First Casper High is destroyed, then a ghostly monster destroys the rest of the town. But that's just the beginning for our hero. What is happening and who is behind it all? ON DELAY!
1. The Beginning

First fic! Please review because I feel I need to improve a lot...yet I don't know how. Advice will be needed in order for better stories to come!

**Jazz: **You know ghost hunting isn't the only thing my parents do, Connie. It's really a side interest. What they're really into is...  
**Jack: **Ghost. Ghost! GHOST!

* * *

Chapter One

If one were to walk into the room you could see all the faculty and staff of Casper High gathered here. Not enough seats were available so many of the teachers had to stand around the small table that was placed in the center of the room. Mr. Lancer stood at the head of the table addressing the rest of the room. He was the vice principal of the school. The image he gave off was that of a lonely, bald man in his thirties with a belly that told of the endless dinners he ate alone.

"Test scores are dropping. This isn't good for our reputation. We need to fix this problem and soon."

The others nodded their heads in agreement. They had all seen their students' scores slowly drop. There were those few overachievers that kept the average high but for the most part many students were doing worse and worse in school.

"Not only that," Mr. Lancer continued. "But according to Tetslaff the P.E. grades are dropping as well." He placed one hand on the table and the other on his head in frustration. This was one problem Mr. Lancer hoped would correct itself, but knew it wouldn't happen.

"I blame hormones!" one teacher exclaimed. "Have you seen the scores of schools that have separated sexes? They are far higher that those schools who are co-ed."

There was a short pause as if to create dramatic tension. The others in the room could feel the air in the room change.

"I propose a change," continued the teacher. "I propose we tear down Casper High." A few gasps escaped some staff member's mouths. "And in its place we build two schools…one for the girls and another for the boys. It would be great!"

* * *

Once again Danny was late for his curfew. This wasn't unusual; it had happened many times before. Ever since the Fenton Ghost Portal accident, ghost fighting took over most of his time. His best friends, Tucker Foley and Sam Manson, had left after he caught his final ghost of the night in the Fenton Thermos. Now it was firmly clipped to his belt on his white and black hasmat suit.

White rings circled his body changing his white hair to black and neon green eyes to their human sky blue. The hasmat suit was replaced by a t-shirt, jeans, and red converses. Danny Phantom was now Danny Fenton. He walked into Fenton Works and prayed for a quiet night. He was needing a good night's rest.

* * *

Instead of the normal schedule, it was announced to the student body of Casper High that an all school assembly would take place in the auditorium. Students filled the seats and talked noisily among themselves. Many were wondering what the sudden assembly was about. Danny Fenton, Sam, and Tucker sat in the back. Their coolness levels weren't that high and preferred not to be teased.

Mr. Lancer stood at the podium. He coughed into the microphone hoping to capture the student's attention. The lights dimmed and the students got the point. They quieted down and faced the stage. A screen slid down behind Mr. Lancer.

"This is your school, Casper High," said Mr. Lancer. Behind him on the screen a picture of the school popped up. A bulldozer came on the screen. It slowly started moving towards the school. Other pieces of machinery were brought on the screen as well. "We will be tearing it down."

Cheers filled the auditorium. Several students jumped out of their seats and danced a little. Danny threw his fist in the air as celebration.

So as not to disappoint the students Mr. Lancer continued, "But we will be rebuilding." The cheers died down. "Instead two separate schools will be built in the old school's place."

A virtual simulation of bulldozers and cannonballs demolishing the school showed on the screen. Little computerized people that looked like the Lego people showed on screen. They quickly rebuilt two schools next to each other.

"These two schools will house our current student and faculty body. So as to divide the student body evenly we will have one school for girls only and the other for boys only."

The few left standing sat down and soaked in the information.

"Can they really do this?" whispered Sam to Danny. Although known as the Goth Girl at the school, she was one of Danny's best friends. To his left, the techno geek called Tucker, his other best friend, just sat there with his mouth open.

A silent murmer came from Tucker that was only heard by Danny, "No cheerleaders…" Danny laughed to himself over his friend's hope to one day date a cheerleader.

Mr. Lancer kept on with his speech. "We have hired four professional teams of construction workers to build the schools. Since today is Friday everyone is let out after school like normal. However," Lancer raised one finger, "school will not be in session for one week." The cheers erupted in the auditorium again. He continued over the joyous celebration of the teens, "You will report to your new schools the following Monday IN UNIFORM."

Groans could be heard, but were muffled by the hurried feet of students trying to get out of the auditorium as fast as possible. Jazz Fenton, Danny's older sister, found the three sitting in the back talking about their weekend plans. The bubbly, thin, redhead was well known at Casper for her exceptionally high grades. Danny knew her as the overprotective sister, secretly embarrassed by her parent's choice of career.

"If you want a ride home, you three will have to wait for about an hour. I have a study group to go to at the library," said Jazz.

Danny stood up and carefully got out of their seats. The other two followed behind him. "I think we're just going to walk to the Nasty Burger, if that's ok with you, Jazz," Danny said. Sam and Tucker nodded in agreement. Most likely that's where most of the students would go to start off the weekend. The best burger joint in town was the popular hangout for highschoolers and the few middle schoolers trying to be cool and hang out with the high schoolers. They really weren't cool at all.

* * *

At the Nasty Burger Sam sat down with her salad and looked at the flyer that was passed out at the end of the assembly. The anger was building inside of her. Finally she let it out on her two best friends.

"This is outrageous!" exclaimed Sam.

A defeated looking Tucker sat across from her. "I know," he said. "How can they take all the girls away from us?" To make it more dramatic he placed his head on the table. It was sticky from unknown substances and he quickly sat upright again.

Danny sat down with his hamburger next to Sam. "That's not what I was talking about, Tucker," said Sam. "I was talking about the uniforms. They take away our individuality. How can we express ourselves now?"

"I'm not worried about that as much as I am the separation," said Danny.

"Finally, a man that agrees with me!" said Tucker. He was happy to know someone was as unhappy with this choice as he was.

"Not for that reason, Tuck," said Danny. His voice was now in a whisper as he continued, "I'm worried about Team Phantom. How is Sam going to help us out during school now? And what if a ghost attacks the girl's school? I can't just phase in there and save the day like normal. Boys aren't allowed unless they're teachers."

Not wanting to be thought of as weak Sam gave her two cents, "I can take care of myself you know. And Valerie will be over there with me too. I've seen her get the best of you during a battle or two," Sam teased. "And I would be more worried about your homework if I was you two," she went on. "Your grades are slipping as they are. And now that we have separate schools, I don't have the same assignments anymore. I can't help you."

Danny folded his arms across his chest. "That's not my biggest worry right now, Sam," he mumbled to himself. At this time a shiver ran down his spine. If you looked closely enough you could see a small blue gasp come from Danny's mouth. Tucker and Sam instantly noticed this and both jumped out of the booth. From behind the counter a blue man in overalls grabbed a cardboard box and screamed.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!" he shouted. Others in the building started running around and created mass panic. While everyone was distracted Danny ducked under the table and changed into his alter ego- Danny Phantom. He floated above the tables and watched the Box Ghost. _This is not what I need to start off my weekend with, _he thought to himself.

"Ok, let's get this over with," Danny Phantom said. "Go on with your speech. I'll pretend to listen. I'll kick your butt and we'll both go home."

"Fine, if you must know," announced the Box Ghost. "I am taking all the cardboard material in this facility and using it to take over the WORLD!" He laughed evilly.

"How exactly do you plan on doing this?" asked Danny.

"Um…" the Box Ghost was dumbfounded. Apparently he hadn't thought this plan through. "I do not know yet! But as soon as I find out I WILL DESTROY YOU!" He began leaving by phasing through the wall. His head was then visible again. He shouted to Danny and anybody else that might listen, "BEWARE!" He was gone for now.

Seeing as no one was left in the restaurant except Sam and Tucker, Danny transformed back into his human self and landed in front of his friends. Tucker crossed his arms across his chest and said, "That guy really is a waste of time. Plus, he ruined my sandwich."

"Oh, get over the meat sandwich," Sam said. She was still a little ticked over the uniforms and it showed in her voice.

Not wanting a conflict breaking out between his friends Danny interjected, "Guys, calm down. Let's just go back to my house and hang out. My mom can make us something to make up for the lost room over the Nasty Burger."

Neither one said anything. They both shrugged and Danny accepted that as a common acknowledgement. He lead the way to Fenton Works (the Fenton household that also held the Fenton Ghost Portal, and Maddie and Jack Fenton, two of Amity Park's continuous ghost hunters). All this time he did not know he was being watch. A large metal ghost with a glowing green mullet talked into a walkie-talkie.

"The whelp is located. How much longer must I wait before I can rest with his pelt at my bed?" he said into the walkie-talkie. On the other hand he held a cage. In it was a beast that resembled a large groundhog with an even larger tail. The tail had spikes on the sides and looked like it was able to tear apart a deer.

An answer came back from the walkie-talkie, "Not now, Skulker. I've given you the orders, now you must follow them down to each precise detail. Wait until it is time…" The voice stopped and Skulker tucked the walkie-talkie back into his armored ecto-suit.

He poked a finger at the beast in the cage. It hissed and showed its teeth. The animal reared back and lunged at Skulker, but hit the bars of the cage instead. Feeling defeated it retreated to a corner. A smirk appeared on the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter's face as he spoke to the animal, "If you act well we'll all get what we want: for you, freedom. And myself, you ask? I would like a nice new pelt, specifically one of the Ghost Boy.

* * *

Well, whatcha think?! huh? Tell me, I'm really a people person, I swear!


	2. Darn Murphy

Chapter 2 is up! I need to get this story up and going. One review does not satisfy my needs. But I do thank you, Thunderstorm101. Actually, Chapter 2 is one of my shorter ones, so have fun everyone!

**Tucker: **Cool! I've always wanted to be called a meddling kid!  
**Sam: **Super. Now you can die happy...

Chapter Two

After a week of hanging out and getting their new uniforms at the Amity Park Mall, the three friends were preparing to go back to their schools. They had decided to meet at Fenton Works before they left to walk. A disturbed looking Sam walked in the home to see Danny, Tucker, and Jazz sitting at the table already eating Fenton Toast. Danny dropped his toast as he saw Sam stop at the door. Giggles erupted from him. An even larger scowl was plastered on Sam's face now.

"Oh, and you two look so cool," Sam said over the laughter.

It definitely was a sight to look at. The Goth was normally dressed in all black, complete with her combat boots. This morning she was in black dress shoes, white knee-high socks, and a straight navy blue skirt. On her arms she wore the normal bracelets that were with her everyday. They did not blend well with the white button up shirt that fastened the tie. On top of that was a red plaid sweatervest, one thing any normal teenager would never wear.

"I thought we looked bad," Tucker said between gasps of breath. "But this is even funnier!" He held his stomach as he continued to laugh at the sight of Sam. She placed her hand on her hip and gave him his death stare.

Jazz, trying to help out Sam, tried to calm down the boys. "C'mon guys. I'll drive you. Let's get to school." She grabbed the keys to show the signal that she was actually leaving. Sam, closest to the door, headed outside as well. Tucker got up from the table and grabbed his backpack. Danny got a final piece of toast out of the toaster, grabbed his backpack, and followed his friends outside.

Seeing his sister and his friends already in the car, Danny decided he could show off. He backed off a little to get a running start. Then, he tightened his grip on his backpack as he ran towards the car.

Jazz got a frightened look on her face and said, "Danny! What do you think you're doing?" At that moment he jumped on the hood of the car and slid across it, John Travolta style. He hopped over the car door and sat in his seat with a smile. Tucker tried to hide his laughter. Jazz and Sam both rolled their eyes and muttered, "Boys…"

Jazz started the car and headed towards the new schools. The wind was blowing through his raven black hair, when a sudden realization came to Danny's mind. He searched through his backpack and Sam and Tucker in the backseat leaned forward, trying to see what he was searching so intently for.

"Ah-ha!" Danny said, raising a piece of paper in the air. "Sam, I made a checklist for you. What you said was right earlier," he continued. Sam leaned back in her seat with her arms folded across her chest. She wanted to hear the rest of this conversation. "You can take care of yourself. I don't always need to be the one to save the day. Even if I think I do…" Sam smiled at this. "So I am keeping you prepared for anything that might pop up. Let's see here…" Danny rummaged through his bag again, pulling out one thing after another. An assortment of gadgets were laid across his lap.

"Fenton Phones," Danny said as he handed them to Sam over his shoulder. "I also have a Fenton Thermos, Jack-a-Nine-Tails, the Fenton Peeler, and a Spector Deflector." Sam didn't have room in her bag so she was forced to hold everything in her hands.

"I think I'm good, Danny," said Sam. "Seriously, what could go wrong?"

"Watch out," Tucker said to Sam. "Murphy's Law's gonna get'cha!"

"What's Murphy's Law?" asked Danny.

Jazz answered for Tucker, "It's a set of laws that basically says 'anything that can go wrong, will go wrong…very wrong.'"

* * *

I'm hoping for more than one review this time people. But on the happy side Phelps broke his world record in the 400 IM by a little less than 2 seconds...I'm a nerd.


	3. New Day, New Game

Ok. Here's chapter 3. thank you to Thunderstorm101 and PyroVamp22 for reviewing. i deeply appreciate it. i would give you both giant hugs if there weren't many possible miles between us. that may also be a little awkward too...but im not sure because it never really happened.

**Jack: **You're in a lot of trouble, mister. And who the heck are you?!  
**Sam: **Uh...I'm Paulina?  
**Jack: **Then Danny Fenton is never, ever, allowed to see you, Paulina.

* * *

Chapter Three

Ironically, the new schools were exact duplicates of Casper High, only smaller in size. In the boys school Danny and Tucker were walking to their English class when Danny's ghost sense went off. The silver wristband on Tucker glowed green and a small ecto-gun popped from it.

Danny glanced at it, then Tucker. Tucker smiled and explained to Danny, "It's more than an accessory…"

Danny glared at him silently wondering where he got it from.

"Fine," said Tucker with a sigh escaping him. "Jazz had one and I liked it. I asked her where she got it and she told me your mom made it." Tucker now whispered, "It's one of her own inventions. Completely Jack Fenton-free!" He now admired it like a woman would a ring. "Your mom made one just for me. Like it?"

"Yeah…" said Danny. Honestly, he could care less. But he had to admit it was less noticeable than a Porta-Portal would be. The bazooka-sized gun was not known for its compact size. On the plus side, Tucker's silver bracelet was definitely less dangerous in school.

Danny ran around the corner searching for possible students or teachers passing by. Tucker glanced down the other hallway doing the same.

"All clear!" Tucker told Danny. He activated the white rings around his waist and quickly transformed into Danny Phantom. He sensed where the ghost was creating havoc from. He grabbed Tucker and flew through the halls following his instincts. Tucker started shivering as they flew through the halls. The temperature was becoming colder.

Danny suddenly stopped. He had to hold onto Tucker because the momentum almost flew him out of Danny's arms. As they looked upon the hallway they were in awe. The walls were coated in ice. Giant icicles hung from the ceiling. In the corners collected tiny snowballs. At the end of the hall a green man with a hunchback in pajamas could be seen trying to corner a group of boys.

"Please be my friend!" shouted the ghost. The boys shivered, both out of fear and from the cold.

Danny shot an ecto-blast at the ghost in the back. The ghost turned around and gasped. He flew towards Danny. Danny screamed a little before the ghost latched himself around the ghost boy.

"Friend…" said the ghost clad in pajamas.

"Ugh…" groaned Danny. He tried to push away the ghost, but he was latched tightly onto Danny. "Klemper, get off of me! I'm still not your friend." Tucker shot at Klemper to focus his attention off of Danny.

* * *

At the girl's school Sam was having a hard time fitting all the ghost hunting equipment in her new locker. She made herself a mental note to find a way to organize this all better.

"How does Danny fit all this stuff in his locker?" she muttered to herself.

Valerie walked up to Sam. "Hey Sam," she said.

"Hey Val," replied Sam still in the process of closing her locker. The vibrations of her efforts to beat the locker knocked a large silver and green belt out of the locker. It rolled on the floor and hit Valerie's feet. She picked it up and studied it. The Fenton logo was easily recognizable on the side. Underneath, the name 'Spector Deflector' could be seen.

'Now why would Sam have a thing like this at school?' she thought to herself. Before she was able to ask Sam about it, the goth girl in new uniform slammed her locker and stormed off to her next class, unhappy about her lost locker space.

Valerie stuffed the Spector Deflector in her backpack and walked towards her first class. Passing a window she looked outside. A boy with white hair and neon green eyes was floating in the air circling around a green man in PJs.

"Phantom…" she muttered with disgust in her voice.

Ever since the Axion Lab was destroyed, her life had been hell. It all started with that ghost boy and his stupid ghost dog. Finding a nice corner away from normal hallway bustle she tucked her backpack there and ran at top speed for the outside door. Soon she was outside the doors, at the top of the stairs. Seeing a bush nearby she literally flew into it. Knowing she was completely covered by the leaves, she clicked her heals together. A red spandex suit covered her body. A matching red helmet came over her head with a see-through mask. Finally, a red and black sled attached to her feet. Valerie, now the Red Huntress of Amity Park, came out of the bushes and flew to the air to meet the two battling ghosts.

"Making me late on my first day back?" she asked the ghosts. "Oh well. It will all be worth it when you are puddles of ectoplasm!" Three identical cubes floated above her head. As if on command, they immediately shot at the ghosts.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the sky, Danny felt as if the battle may finally end soon. He had managed to get Klemper away from the school and was ready to get him into the Fenton Thermos. A flash of red caught his eye. He turned just in time to hear the last words of her rant.

"Oh no…" Danny said to himself. "Not Valerie too. Why can't she stay distracted by something other than ME!"

Klemper, tired of "playing" with Danny, was ready to find someone else to play with. Just in time, Valerie flew up to meet the two ghosts. Something in his brain decided this would be his next new friend. The brightly colored suit only solidified his thoughts. Klemper flew towards Valerie with one of the biggest smiles on his face. Easily dodging the shots from her cubes, he was intently focused on giving her one of the biggest hugs of her life.

Realizing the ghost clad in pajamas was after her she continued to fire at the ghost. Not being able to hit the ghost she decided he was too close for comfort. She screamed and turned her jetsled in the opposite direction. Klemper took this as an invitation to play tag and followed after her.

Danny laughed to himself. "Well, this makes it a lot easier for me," he said. Danny flew back towards the school and phased himself through the building.

* * *

Chapter 3 is finito! like always read and review.


	4. Friends Forever

3 reviews guys...I know I'm not the best of writers, but this is ridiculous. I am really not happy. But that also may have to do with the fact that my volleyball practice is going over when I wanted my birthday party. Stupid volleyball coach. Plus he wants us 'conditioned'. Ok that's enough rambling. Just leave reviews at this point. Maybe that'll make me feel better on the inside.

Oh, and so everyone knows...  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own the DP characters. Butch does. That would be awesome if I did, but I don't. And this goes for all my other chapters as well.

**Jack: **Good work, son! You're getting a raise in your allowance for this!  
**Danny: **I have an allowance?

* * *

Chapter Four

Danny and Tucker went through the rest of the day fairly normal. Danny packed up his stuff and looked for Tucker down the sophomore hallway. Seeing Tucker try to fit all his "techno-gear" in his own backpack made Danny sigh. Why couldn't Tucker find a normal image? At least the geeky, loser of an image Danny held onto didn't come with gadgets.

"Hey Tuck," said Danny.

Tucker grabbed his now filled backpack off the floor and flung it over his shoulder. He faced his best friend and said, "Hey Danny. How was your last class?"

"Fine," said Danny. "Fallupa slammed me with a report due by Friday, but it's no big deal. I'm sure I'll get it done."

Tucker smiled. "Sam can't help you."

Danny slapped his forehead with his hand. "Doph!" he exclaimed. "I almost forgot. Great! Maybe the school grades start over with a new school…?"

"Nope," said Tucker. He was in the school's database on his PDA. "All our grades are transferring over as we speak."

"I'll find time to do the report," Danny said to himself. "So, what were you thinking of doing tonight before patrol?"

"Mini golfing with me and Sam?" Tucker asked.

"Ok," Danny said. "I'll meet you there in an hour."

"Sounds good," Tucker replied. "I'll go find Sam and talk her into buying my ticket. I'm out of money this week." Tucker grabbed the inside of his pockets and turned them inside out. All that came out was a little lint. Danny nodded his head and waved goodbye to the beret-wearing techno-geek. All he needed right now was a good fly to wear off the stress of an eight hour school day.

* * *

After placing his backpack behind a bush for protection, he changed into Danny Phantom and took to the skies. The relaxing wind blew in his face and pushed back his snow white hair. The only dangers up here were the birds. They moved out of his way…most of the time.

He checked to the clock that resided in the middle of Amity Park. His eyes widened and he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh my gosh!" he said to no one in particular. "I'm late! They are so going to kill me!"

"Not if I kill you first, ghost!" said a mysterious voice. It seemed almost as if the last word was spit out with distaste. "Didn't think I forgot about you, did you?"

Danny turned around only to find Valerie in her ghost hunting outfit again. Her grenade launcher was pointed in her direction. As if on cue, as soon as he turned around the launcher shot at him. Luckily for Danny they all hit nearby trees. He was now flying through the skies at less than relaxing speeds.

He turned around to shoot some ectoblasts at her sled. He knew from experience that the sled was where most of her weaponry was kept. The practice sessions late in the Lab had been for the good of this chase. His third shot hit dead on the center of her sled. It split down the middle.

Danny smiled to himself. He was getting better. A scream woke him from his bliss that appeared after his hit. Without her sled Valerie was falling towards the earth. He flew down to catch Valerie. He didn't have enough speed to catch her from underneath so he went for her wrists. As soon as he came in contact with them he was immediately shocked. It didn't do that much damage; it was the surprise that made him release.

She fell on her rump and landed with an 'oomph!' She looked up and saw Danny floating above her rubbing his wrists.

"What was that?" Danny asked.

Valerie stood up. "Like it?" she asked the ghost boy still in the air. "The Fentons made it for one of the girls their son hangs out with." She flashed him the Spector Deflector. Its silver gleam was hidden under her red jumpsuit during their fight.

Danny was wondering how she managed to get a hold of Sam's Spector Deflector. He slowly floated towards Valerie with his hand stretched out. Valerie noticed the look of panic go over his face before it disappeared behind his normal ghostly face.

"I'm not sure where that came from," he said to her. "But I do know it was not meant for you to have. Give it to me." He was at her level now.

She gave him a face that looked guilty. "I guess you're right…" she said. Just as sudden an angry face replaced the gentle face she had on. "I should kick your butt now!"

Before Danny could react she grabbed his wrist. The shock from the Spector Deflector ran electricity through his body again. She slammed him on his back and let go of his wrist to watch him squirm in pain.

He immediately reached for his head to check for lumps or bruises that might become harmful to him in later fights. Feeling good enough (as one could feel after being electrocuted and thrown on the ground) he looked up to see the smug look on Valerie's face. She now had one arm flexed at her side and the other arm had a small ecto-gun pointed directly at his head. Her legs were slightly apart, creating the physical appearance of a dominant position over the ghost boy.

His back suddenly was on fire. He reached an arm to feel his back. Feeling around he determined nothing was broken (except his pride). He would probably be sore for a few days, but nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage ghost fighting superhero. 'Note to self,' he thought. 'Never touch Valerie again.'

"Listen," he said to her in an annoyed tone. "I don't have time for this. I have a social life, you know!"

"I don't care, ghost!" she screamed back at him. She took the arm away from her side to steady her aim of the ecto-gun while it was charging. A small beep came from the gun signaling it was ready to annihilate.

"Valerie!" shouted an African American man in what looked like a mail carriers uniform. He had a slight gut, but was in pretty good shape for a 40-year-old man with a teenage daughter.

"Oh no! Not Dad!" the girl in the red jumpsuit whispered.

Seeing his chance Danny became intangible and waved goodbye to her as he phased through the ground. "And with that," he said to her. "I bid you adieu."

She growled in frustration at losing her chance, but had to quickly and quietly hide behind the tree to change out of her jumpsuit.

* * *

Relieved that he had gotten away from Valerie, Danny was now preparing for the consequences that Tucker and Sam would give him for being late. He made his way on the course and found a large bush to transform back into Danny Fenton. He got his shirt caught on a thorn coming out of the bush and it rustled with his movement. Tucker and Sam noticed this and instantly tensed. A year of ghost fighting with Danny had them prepared for anything that might come along.

"Duh, ghost powers!" Danny said out loud. He turned intangible and easily stepped out of bush. Tucker and Sam breathed a sigh of relief.

Tucker laughed a little. "We thought you were a ghost," he explained to Danny. "Or something else we don't see everyday."

Changing the subject Sam said, "What's the excuse this time?" She was obviously a little bit irritated.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness. "Uh, well. I lost track of time. Then out of no where Valerie attacked me." He suddenly remembered something about the fight earlier. He eyed Sam for a minute. "Do you happen to know how she got a hold of the Spector Deflector?"

"No," said Sam.

"Well, try and get it back from her. She electrocuted me a few times and I don't want to experience that again!" said Danny.

Tucker, not in the conversation, had taken this time to get ahead of Sam. He was so focused on the ball that sweat started to drip from his forehead. He tapped the ball and it rolled down the green through the windmill. On the other side it rolled almost perfectly to the hole.

"Yes!" he shouted. This caught the attention of Sam and Danny. Tucker grabbed the score sheet they had been keeping and marked on it.

"Looks like we're tied now, Sam," he told her.

Danny grabbed a putter that had fallen on the ground and aimed to hit a ball. He hit it and it went through the windmill exactly like Tucker's had moments earlier. It rolled down the hill directly to the hole.

"Looks like I could beat both of you in my sleep," Danny said.

At this time a shock rippled through the ground causing the three friends to fall down.

"What the…" Sam said bewildered. Danny looked across the course to where a patch of grass was glowing a ghostly green. Danny transformed into Phantom. His legs disappeared and in their place came a ghost tail. He flew to where the quake had begun. Sam and Tucker jumped up as well and grabbed their motorized scooters, following the ghost boy.


	5. Creatures Unknown

Ok, I have decided that even a small amount of reviews is worth praise. It's not quantity, it's quality. So I would like to thank EdElricFan1001, PyroVamp22, Thunderstorm101, and my two friends that reviewed for me because they were in a state of pity. I appreciate you guys taking time out of your lives to review my story.  
The story writing has gotten slower because school has begun and I am a busy person. Ah, and birthday stuff is coming up! I have prewritten up to chapter 8, but it's getting slower. I'll keep trying, I promise.  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own Danny Phantom. But a friend recently made me a DP swim cap which I love to death! That's as close as I will get to owning DP...sadly. And on with the story...!

**Jazz: **Wow, isn't this great? We just caught three ghosts tonight!  
**Danny: ** No, actually, we just caught one ghost, three times. All of them me!

* * *

Chapter Five

Danny's speed got him there within a few minutes and he expected Tucker and Sam there in another few minutes as well. A quick glance over the area determined no one was injured. A light blue mist hiccupped out of his mouth signaling the ghost nearby. As if on cue Skulker, in all his ecto-suited glory, slowly floated up to meet the ghost boy.

"Greetings, ghost child," welcomed Skulker.

"Skulker…" replied Danny. "What are you doing here?"

The metal ghost laughed. "Just releasing one of my latest catches."

Danny's face held a questionable look. "What are you doing letting go of your catches?" he asked. "Usually you take their pelt and hang it on your wall."

"My master has requested me to unleash it on the world," explained Skulker. "And seeing as how it has already begun I will leave."

As he flew away Danny yelled to the sky, "What do you mean 'it has begun?'" Danny clenched his fists and flew down to where his friends had waited for him.

Sam rested on her scooter. "Well that was weird," she said.

Tucker stood next to her with his eyes wide open. His hand pointed to a place behind Danny as he said, "Yeah, but that's weirder!" Danny and Sam both turned to look where Tucker was pointing. They both gasped at the sight.

A large groundhog with a flat, spiked tail was burrowing its way into the ground at remarkable speeds. The surrounding ground in a twenty foot radius was glowing a green color.

Still wide-eyed Tucker said, "I've heard of roadkill, but this is ridiculous." Danny decided this was the time to check out the monster.

"Uh, thing?" Danny asked the creature. Danny noticed at this time the animal had made a fairly decent hole in the ground about eight feet deep.

The ghost-mammal looked over its shoulder to find Danny hovering behind it. The creature had claimed this land as his home and became territorial. It lunged at Danny and attached itself to Danny's chest. The retractable claws came out and ripped through Danny's jumpsuit to feel flesh. Green ectoplasm leaked through the holes in Danny's suit. He grabbed the thing off his chest and threw it on the ground with superhuman force.

Smoke rose from the ground and the beast was in a crouched position baring its fangs towards Danny. Instead of lunging again it fled to the original hole it was in the process of making. Danny followed it as it jumped into the hole. Dirt flew in the air as Tucker and Sam ran over to see what the animal was doing. Soon it had dug to where the teens could not see it in normal light. Tucker could feel a little shock through the ground, but brushed it off and soon forgot about it.

Sam breaking the silence said, "I like the darkness as much as any Goth, but I am not going down there."

Danny continued to look down the hole. "I guess we just let it be. It's not hurting anyone, right?"

Tucker, now bored with the situation, put his helmet on and revved his scooter. "I don't know about you guys," he said. "But I think after a good ghost attack we should replenish our bodies."

Sam looked at him and said, "With what? Corporate produced meat filled with fat and ingredients made to addict you to it like nicotine? Thanks, but no thanks."

"Did you say no to what I was assuming was the Nasty Burger?" asked Tucker.

"Oh, did you mean the Nasty Burger?" said Sam sarcastically. "Well, that's a lot better." She hopped on her scooter and revved it as well. A smile inched its way across her mouth. She pushed off the ground and she started rolling down the hill. "But I call the window seat!" she shouted.

"Hey," exclaimed Tucker. "That's not fair!"

_They are your best friends,_ Danny reminded himself.

Meanwhile, deep in the glowing green ground, the beast burrowed itself a hole and settled for the night. It had a big day tomorrow.

* * *

ooh another cliffhanger! how suspenceful! tell me what you like. I take any review I can get and cherish every one of them.

have a nice labor day weekend coming up. i know I will. busy with birthday week stuff and trying to get a funny tan to show off with my strapless at homecoming!


	6. Histories Revealed

I know it's been a while, but AP English is finally getting into the swing of things. Plus volleyball games have started, and our first home football game came along. A 40-6 victory. Afterwards we took over Applebee's...literally. Like over 30 people showed up, and the guy started getting really pissed off at us. But it was nice. I saw some people I hadn't talked to in a while and watched a little drama unfold. All in all, a nice night. Anyways...chapter six. It's getting slower now as I try to keep the nice pace I had going earlier with the writing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Danny Phantom characters. This one story is all I have to hold onto.

**Paulina: **Danny, you never said whether or not you were coming to my quincenera on Friday.  
**Danny: **That's because when you invited me, I thought you were joking.

* * *

Chapter Six

Once again at the Nasty Burger, Danny, Sam, and Tucker ate their preferred sandwiches in silence. Feeling some condiment on the side of his mouth Danny used the back of his hand to wipe it off and continue on his burger. Danny eyed the plate of fries that were placed in the middle of their table. He noticed Tucker was doing the same. Sam, already finished with her salad, was waiting for the Fries War to begin like it always did. Simultaneously both boys dropped their different burgers and lunged across the table towards the fries. Fried potatoes flew in the air as Danny and Tucker had both hands going from plate to mouth.

Sam noticed other people started staring at the boys' wild behavior. She knew eventually she would be the one to calm down their frenzies, but now was not the time. For her, now was the time to lean back and relax, staring at the others in the restaurant that were trying to make sense of the scene in front of them.

Before management could intervene with her fun she stepped out of the booth and stood over the table. She had to wait for the right moment to pull this maneuver off correctly. At the moment when both boys had fries in their mouths, she flew one hand at Tucker's shoulder with the other hand aimed at Danny's shoulder.

"Enough!" she said with a forceful tone while pushing both boys to the backs of the booth. They finished chewing the fries left in their mouth and stared at Sam. She slid back into the booth next to Danny and relaxed against the frame of the booth.

"Thank you," Sam said to the two boys. "I believe your food frenzy was about to get us kicked out." Danny and Tucker gulped their now chewed fries. With a sigh they started to rub their full bellies. A hazy look showed in their eyes as if they were about to fall asleep right there in the booth in the slightly smelly restaurant.

"Danny, you need to find out what that thing was," said Sam. "Skulker doesn't just unleash something out on the world for any normal reason. Something big is going to happen, I can feel it."

"How am I supposed to?" asked Danny. He looked behind Tucker to see Dash and Kwan walk in with their signature letter jackets on. Paulina Sanchez, the prettiest girl in school walked in behind him with her satellite that was also known as Star. The girls both had on their tube tops that gave very little to the imagination, but managed to pass by school code. The group was laughing about something, but the joke could not be heard from where Danny, Sam, and Tucker were sitting. They went up to the counter and ordered. Dash turned his head, looking for a place for the four kids to sit.

Dash, the All American boy of Casper High, spotted Danny and walked over to the smaller, black haired boy. He smiled at the things he thought of doing to Danny. Danny noticed this smile because it was only meant for him, and he got his special smile a lot.

"Uh, Tucker…?" Danny said before Dash was in earshot.

"Yeah?" replied Tucker.

"Brace yourself!" Danny told his African American friend. He tensed up his shoulders and closed his eyes, waiting for whatever Dash planned on doing to him this time.

"Hey Fentina!" yelled Dash. "I'm in a good mood from the vacation, so I've decided to go easy on you." Dash grabbed the back of Danny's head and slammed it into what was left of his ketchup on his plate. Kwan, Paulina, and Star saw this and started laughing. Dash walked off to join his friends at their table.

"See ya, losers," Dash shouted as he walked away.

Danny's eyes flashed their dangerous, ghostly green. "Ugh, Dash…" said Danny with a hint of exasperation.

Sam noticed this and wanted to calm down Danny before it got out of hand. She placed her hand on his arm. "Danny," she said. "Now is not the time. We have more important matters at hand. Remember, giant ghost groundhog unleashed by Skulker, the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter?" She put her hands on her hips and made her voice deeper, trying to sound like the mechanical voice of Skulker.

"Yeah, you're right, Sam," Danny said. He unclenched his fists and placed them on top of the table. He stared at them as if he was studying them for observation. As if through his thoughts, they would magically turn invisible, which for him, they could. The trace broke and Danny let out a long sigh. His hands found his head and grabbed for his black hair. He looked up and his baby blue eyes found Tucker's dark green eyes.

"So…" Danny continued. "Where do we start looking for information on this _thing_?" He had finally calmed down and was ready to deal with the situation at hand.

"Already done, dude," said Tucker happily. He turned his PDA screen towards Danny and Sam. The monster from before was on the screen. Below it was information that was most likely useful to the trio. "While Dash was bagging on you, I started looking up on that ghost. Yes, it is a ghost," Tucker confirmed.

Sam grabbed the PDA out of Tucker's hands. As she skimmed the webpage she read out loud the information she thought might be useful for future reference.

"Wow. Thanks, Tucker," said Sam.

"No problem," replied Tucker. "It's what I do. What else am I here for if not being the lovable, handsome, techno-wonder, love machine that I am?" Tucker laughed at his own joke, but no one else did.

Sam read on as if the lame joke was never said. "Basic facts which we already know, like, what it looks like…."

"Ha," said Danny. "I think I already know." He curled his fingers to look like claws and growled at Tucker. "Rawr!"

"Woah," said Tucker through laughs. "You're as scary as a ghost!"

"That's what I was going for," Danny said. Both boys were laughing now.

"Guys, focus!" Sam said. "It says here that the beast answers to the name of Aftershock. It was said by ghost hunters to be the cause of the New Madrid, Missouri earthquakes in 1812, but nothing was proven." Sam talked to herself now. "That would make sense since Missouri isn't naturally a fault line…"

"What was that you said, Sam?" asked Tucker.

"Huh?" she said, lost in her thoughts. "Oh, nothing…"

"Let me see that," said Danny. He grabbed the PDA and started scrolling from the point that Sam left off. "Is there anything here that might help us?"

"From what I read on it earlier, Aftershock buried itself under the River, where it went undetected to ghost hunting equipment of the time, and created earthquakes for two years. The largest one registered was an eight on the Richter Scale, and the scale only goes to ten," Tucker told his friends.

"What happened to it? A thing that big couldn't have just disappeared," Sam asked.

Danny was still reading Tucker's PDA when he joined in the conversation. "What happened over two hundred years without any activity?" he asked himself. A sudden thought came to him. "He didn't disappear. He was getting stronger, at least until Skulker caught him. But how did he get so weak in the first place?"

Tucker decided to answer Danny's question f

or him. "It was said that people in nearby Tennessee gathered for all night fish fries to ask for relief from the earthquakes Aftershock was causing. Probably so many people and so much fish weakened him."

"That would fit. A creature that likes to be one with the earth is not likely to be around things from the sea, such as fish," Sam added.

"It says that the deeper he dug into the ground, the more energy he stored. That's how he gained all that power," Danny read from the PDA.

"But that still doesn't explain how smaller earthquakes are still occurring there," Tucker pointed out.

Sam thought about this for a minute. She looked over and noticed Danny was still reading the PDA. "Yeah it does," she said. "All that activity probably caused a fault line where one shouldn't have been."

Danny handed the PDA back to Tucker. "Guys," he said. "We need to get back to that thing." He put down a tip for the waitress and got out of the booth. Tucker and Sam followed suit.

* * *

Deep in the earth the beast now known as Aftershock slept peacefully. The metal collar placed around his neck started beeping from the timer that had just gone off. It awoke the beast and, without opening his eyes, snarled at his disturbed sleep. A small speaker was visible on the side. A voice came from it.

"Aftershock…" the voice said sweetly. "WAKE UP! You have a mission to do. Now begin immediately!"

As soon as the voice was gone, Aftershock resumed his nap. A small shock of electricity came from the collar and awoke the beast yet again. He knew what needed to be done, but a nap was preferable over his duties. He was a few miles off his target, but that distance could be made up in a few hours. He got up from his position and slowly made his way to the far wall of the tiny cave. Four retractable claws came from the front paws and glowed a ghostly green. They reached for the earth wall and started digging towards his destination.

* * *

I'm in a better mood everyone, and reviews would just make it better. Have a nice day!


	7. Foiled by Grandma

This is basially the first of a few pre-chapters to the real part of the plot. just go along with it for now. i swear it'll get better. plus a few other stories are coming to mind so as soon as i get to a nice place in this one, ill move on to the others.

by the way: i have no school tomorrow because the bishop ordered a holiday! yay catholic school!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own DP or its characters. I do own this plot though. It came to me in a dream...

**Danny: **Um...uh. Boo?  
**Ghost Gabber: **I am a ghost. Fear me.  
**Danny: **Uh, I better get to school.  
**Ghost Gabber: **I better get to school. Fear me.

* * *

Chapter Seven

Danny looked towards the giant clock tower in the center of town. It read eight o'clock. Two hours until curfew.

Danny reached for his Fenton Phones that were attached to his ears. "Uh guys," he said. Tucker and Sam had identical Fenton Phones so they could communicate together. "Do we know what we're going here to look for?"

The other two were on the ground, compared to Danny's ability to fly. Their scooters could only go so fast, but Danny didn't fly in a hurry. Sam looked to Tucker for advice on what to say to Danny. Tucker decided to be the one to come up with an explanation on the spot.

"I guess just see how far down this Aftershock has dug himself into Amity Park soil. Nothing can get past these eagle eyes!" Tucker told Danny.

Above, Danny sped up a little, wanting to check out the scene before his friends got themselves into possible danger. From what he could tell from a quick glance, nothing seemed to have changed since they were last here. The same green patch was still glowing. Now people had come back to the park. Some couples were sitting on benches. A few others could be seen jogging or briskly walking in the night air. Crime was down in Amity Park and citizens had little to fear except for the frequent ghost attacks. Sam and Tucker rode up in their scooters over the same hill that Mr. Grey had walked earlier.

Danny found a tree that wasn't occupied with people. He walked behind it and transformed into Danny Fenton. Humans were less noticeable in the park than Danny Phantom, the ghost kid, would be. At the hole he met Sam and Tucker who were already peering into it.

"See anything?" Danny asked, looking over the edge.

"Not yet," Sam told Danny. "But it could be sleeping."

Tucker walked a few feet off. Neither Danny or Sam seemed to notice he was missing. He came back with a small rock in his hands. Tucker threw it into the hole and grunted as he did so.

"Tucker!" Sam said in shock. The threesome backed off the hole in case anything came out. Little did they know that Aftershock was long gone. The rock bounced off the bottom of the pit and its echoes could be heard. The three slowly walked back towards the edge again.

"It sounded pretty deep," concluded Danny. He crounched down as if he was going to jump into the hole. Sam saw this and grabbed his arm.

"Not now, Danny," said Sam. "There's too many people here." She still had her hand on Danny's arm. She glanced around to show Danny the people that were walking around. He noticed this and nodded in agreement.

"Well, when do we check this out?" Tucker asked. He wasn't particularly happy about jumping in to a potentially dangerous ghost-made hole, but what could you do?

Sam smiled. She let go of Danny's arm and stood upright again. Sam knew the perfect time to do some ghostly detective work. "Tonight," she told the boys. "At eleven. No one in this town stays out past nine."

Both boys knew it was the time, but neither was real happy about skipping patrol to become human moles.

Danny was the first to answer, "Ok. Tucker you can stay over at my house. But, Sam, what are you going to do?"

Her smile became a little bigger. "Don't worry. I have that all figured out…"

* * *

In her lavender room she found a duffle bag that, according to all the dust that was attached, had not been used for a very long time. She grabbed the ghost hunting equipment that Danny had given her over the two years since they started fighting ghosts. She wrapped the weapons in spare clothing to reduce oblong shaped things poking out of her bag. Plus the weapons didn't make as much noise this way. She slung the strap over her shoulder and ran down the stairs into the mansion's kitchen where her parents were sitting.

Looking over at the table, she noticed plates that were still fresh with food. She concluded that dinner had just finished. Now the Mansons were sitting on their living room furniture watching TV. Sam popped her head over the wall so her parents could see her.

"Hey," Sam said to her parents. She turned around the corner as her parent's heads whipped around. They instantly took notice of the bag around their Goth daughter's shoulders. "I'm spending the night over at Valerie's. I'll be back around noon tomorrow." Neither Pamela or Jeremy Manson knew who Valerie Gray was, but mentally cheered that their daughter was around someone other than those two boys.

Sam had already run out of the room when Jeremy waved his hand and answered, "Ok. Be safe, honey!"

She was about ten feet away from the front door when her grandmother, Whoopi, wheeled up in her scooter. The elderly lady was blocking Sam's exit route from the mansion.

"Now where do you think you're going, missy?" asked the lady with a cracked voice that the elderly tend to have. The twinkle behind those eyes told Sam that her grandmother knew the truth.

Sam relaxed her shoulders, but tightened her grip on her bag, ready to bolt at the first free moment. Sam had gotten past her grandmother many times and knew just how to break free from her grandmother's more concerned eyes. She blinked her eyes a few times, making them looking wetter than normal. The bottom lip came out to make her face looking almost innocent if not for the inch thick eyeliner and dark purple lipstick.

"Please grandma," Sam pleaded. "Don't tell Mom and Dad."

Whoopi smiled at her granddaughter. "Ok," she said, her voice softening a bit. "But be careful. I know you have a good head on those shoulders."

Sam took this as her getaway and sprinted out the door. All that was left to do was meet the rest of Team Phantom and get rid of this ghost. As she ran towards the park a single question that Danny had uttered a few months back, "_You didn't think it was always going to be as easy as shoving the Box Ghost into the Thermos, did you?"_

chapter 7 is up and running! sorry for anyone that was in anxious suspension, but i doubt those ppl are very few. almost finished writing chapter nine so the plot builds on. i think ten will bring big changes, but eleven at longest.

alright. everyone have a nice day at school. because ill be at steak n shake partying up the day without school. but after i have a vball game that i most likely wont play in...woo. i hate vball. just give me a pool to swim in and ill be happy.

* * *


	8. You Dig to Build Character

it's Homecoming week! i'm so excited. we weren't able to go to the dance last yr so im excited for this yr! plus, only 2 1/2 days of school the next week. im just sad we have a tourney that day too. our coahc will probably yell at us, but who cares...its homecoming!

hope you enjoy the story. its starting to pick up.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or its character. I thank Butch Hartman for that.**

**Johnny 13: **I thought this was a pretend fight.  
**Danny: **Then pretend this didn't hurt!

* * *

Chapter Eight

Sam had to run to the park. A noisy scooter would attract too much attention of the sleepy town people of Amity Park. Besides, she was in great shape, and for her at least, this was just barely a work out. She arrived about five minutes past what they were expected to meet up. Tucker and Danny were already there thanks to Danny's use of his ghost powers. They were both still staring into the hole. It seemed as if they were statues and had not moved from that spot since earlier in the afternoon.

Danny heard footsteps and turned to peer over his shoulder. His acute sense of hearing noticed the clanging noise of the ghost weapons in Sam's bag.

"Hey," he said to her. This was the time that Tucker noticed they weren't alone in the park. Even in the moonlight his face lit up as his other best friend came to join them. The shine was replaced by a face full of worry on the young teen's face.

"You're sure you want to go through with this, man?" asked Tucker to Danny.

Danny's sky blue eyes caught Tucker's teal eyes. Tucker could tell that Danny was worried on the inside, but being the hero that he was, acted brave to cover it up.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Danny said. He nodded his head as if to reassure himself of this as well. There was a slight pause; barely noticeable to most people, but Tucker realized this was Danny's way of convincing himself to continue with the plan. Danny then turned his head to Sam, his eyes catching a fiercer determination that there was in those eyes seconds before.

"Did you bring everything, Sam?" Danny said. Sam dropped the bag on the ground and sat down to open up its contents. As she unzipped it, the towel-rolled weapons came out. She neatly arranged them in the grass in front of her as she unrolled them one by one. Sets of three of very few of the weapons came out of the bag. Most of them were in pairs Danny noticed.

Sam motioned for the boys to come closer to collect their weapons. Each of the teens got a Fenton Flash of Light. Tucker was able to have the honor of carrying around the Fenton Bazooka, while Sam carried the Jack-o-Nine Tails, an extra thermos, and an ecto staff.

After everyone had their items, Sam stood in front of the pit and looked down. Before jumping in, she turned over her shoulder to see the boys behind her, weapons ready at the moment's notice. They were her best friends and she knew they would protect her. Taking one more breath in, she crouched down and jumped into the pit. Tucker soon followed suit.

Danny waited above as the watch guard for now, but his face told a different story. He wanted to be next to his friends, able to protect them with whatever powers he had. He didn't like seeing them out of his sight, but that was the overprotective side of him taking over.

Down in the pit, Sam took out her Fenton Flash of Light. It was the size of a regular flashlight, but with two different buttons: one for normal light, and another light with a green-ish tint that blinded and paralyzed any ghost unlucky enough to step into its path. Danny was above so as not to be affected by the greener light.

Sam flashed the green light and used it to search over the newly dug cave walls. Nothing squealed, but a few insects could be seen scurrying away from the light. Deciding nothing ghost-related was about to attack them anytime soon, Sam turned off the green half of the light and switched it to normal light. She nodded to Tucker behind her to signal Danny was free to drop in now.

"Danny!" Tucker called. "The cave is clear and ghost free!" He had placed the bazooka on the ground so both hands could be used to create a makeshift megaphone around his mouth.

Danny heard the scream and lunged into the pit with a small grunt. By the time his feet reached the dirt floor he was already in ghost mode, complete with the black and white jumpsuit, white hair, and eyes as bright as a city sign. He now took the lead over his friends. A slight green ghostly glow came from his left hand for light in addition for Sam's flashlight.

They began their journey through the tunnel, not knowing where it would take them.

* * *

After ten minutes of traveling in silence, Tucker decided that this was not making any progress from where they were at the top of the pit.

"So…" Tucker said uncomfortably. Apparently he was the only one not on full alert. Both Danny and Sam in front of him stopped dead in their tracks and turned around, as if expecting danger. Danny's hand used for lighting glowed a little brighter. At the moment it looked a bit more menacing than Tucker expected. The boy in back raised his hands to show he meant no harm. Sam let out an exasperated sigh. They started walking again like before.

Tucker tried again, "Did you hear of the joke of the three girls and a bathroom mirror?"

Sam turned around again, but continued walking. "Not now, Tucker," she spoke through clenched teeth. The fire in her eyes were ready to kill on contact. "Be serious, Tuck."

"Sam, there's nothing to be serious about," Tucker explained, his voice raising a bit. "We've been down here for over ten minutes now, and all we have come across is more dirt that I have ever wanted to get to know." His hands flew in the air to show Sam where exactly they were…as if she forgot.

Danny stopped walking and turned around to face his friends. "Tucker's right," Danny said. "I don't think we're facing anything tonight. It's too far ahead of us." He faced Tucker and said, "Do you know of any way to judge when the tunnel ends?"

Tucker whipped out his PDA. A few buttons were pushed, then he glanced up to look at Danny. "Shoot," he commanded Danny.

Danny didn't understand the request, and a confused look showed up on his face. "What?" he asked.

"Shoot," Tucker repeated. The look on Danny's face showed he still had no idea what the request really meant. "Shoot a small ectoblast down the tunnel. I tuned my PDA into your average speed to find distance. Simple algebraic equation," Tucker explained.

Danny shrugged, "I'm not the math man here. Let's have a go at it." He took the hand that was not giving off light and pointed his index finger down the tunnel. A small ectoblast came out of the finger and could be seen traveling down the tunnel.

The friends waited where they stood. Tucker stared intensely at his screen. A small shock rippled through the ground and made the dirt around them vibrate. Loose dirt from the ceiling fell onto the heads of Team Phantom.

"It found the end," Tucker told the others. "Judging by the length, the wall is directly under the school." He looked up to see the faces of his comrades.

First shock was displayed on Danny's face, but was replaced by a more common face for Danny Phantom: determination.

"We know where Aftershock is going to hit," Danny said. He grabbed the wrists of the other two. Danny crouched down, turned intangible, and flew them above to normal ground. He let go of them and looked into the sky. "Now we just have to figure out when."

* * *

hope you continue to like it. i also hope my writing has gotten better bc im not officially through my 1st grading period of ap english. (b+ by the way...thats a 4.33 on a 5.0 scale) im so happy about that. anyways...reviews would be nice!


	9. All Dolled Up

I know it's been a while and im sorry. hopefully people are still reading the story. im actually getting really into it. but im excited to get this one done and start some new stories i have in mind. not sure how this one will end though...just have to wait and find out what i come up with. hehe so sneaky!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

**Jack: **I know exactly what I'm getting into: a bigger place in my son's heart.  
**Danny: **Thanks. Now I'm being crushed by space and guilt!

* * *

Chapter Nine

Immediately, Danny grabbed Sam and Tucker and flew them to Fenton Works. They were not going to find any new evidence here, and were all extremely exhausted. As he phased through the wall, he placed Sam and Tucker down. Staying intangible, he went into another room and left Sam and Tucker in his room.

Sam looked around at all the space memorabilia. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see Tucker rummaging through Danny's closet. With a final grunt he pulled out two blankets and pillows.

Tucker noticed the stare Sam was giving him and tried to explain himself. "This happens a lot actually. It's almost routine, except I have to make two beds instead of one now that you're here," he said.

Sam nodded in understanding as Danny came back into his room. He changed back into Danny Fenton and smiled as he saw the faces of his friends. In his hands was a plate with what looked like sandwiches and three cans of pop. He placed them on his bed stand and helped Tucker finish setting out the makeshift beds on the floor. Watching them, Sam ran her fingers through her hair and realized it was very oily. _Definitely in need of a shower_, she decided.

"Am I allowed to use the bathroom?" she asked.

"Yeah," Danny said. Then a sudden thought came to him: Sam wasn't supposed to be here. "Um," he said slowly. "Go ahead and lock the door behind you. If anyone asks I'll tell them it's Tucker."

Sam liked this arrangement and headed towards the bathroom. After countless times of being at the Fenton household she knew exactly where the bathroom was. She walked inside and looked around. She knew Jazz shared the bathroom with Danny and hoped she wouldn't mind if Sam used some of her soap.

She grabbed the shampoo that looked like a girl had used it and hopped in the shower when steam started to fog the mirror. A good lather, rinse, repeat helped soothe Sam of the night's adventures. She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself. It was then she realized she forgot to bring in spare clothes. She opened the door just a crack, planning to ask Danny for her bag that did have a spare t-shirt and shorts, just in case. The door would not open all the way. Sam looked down and noticed clothes lying on the floor, folded up, with a note on top.

She picked up the clothes and the note. A smile creeped on her face as Sam read Jazz's handwriting.

_Danny told me everything._

_You can use some of my clothes for tonight. _

_--Jazz_

Even if she could be a little annoying, Sam did secretly like her, but just a little. Now she wouldn't have to awkwardly call Danny.

With Jazz's clothes on, Sam walked into Danny's room to find the boys playing a game of cards. Neither one looked up from their cards. Tucker took a few from the pile and placed one down into the pile next to it. Danny put on hand on his chin, deep in concentration. He picked up one from the first pile and put it into the cards in his hand. His sky blue eyes widened. All five cards were slammed on the carpet.

"I win," Danny announced with a smug look on his face.

Tucker placed his hand down a bit more gently and yawned, his arms stretching over his head. "Ok," he replied in between the yawns. "Four losses is enough for me."

Danny stood up and looked around as if trying to locate something. Tucker could be heard rustling his sheets. Danny faced Sam and said, "I'm going out on one last patrol."

"Oh no, you're not!" Sam exclaimed. She walked over to where he was and firmly planted her hands on his shoulders. Normally he could resist her, even if she was strong for a girl. Tonight was different; tonight he didn't feel like putting up a fight. With the extra push from Sam's hands he sat on his bed. "You are staying right here," she commanded him. "I don't care if we have been out all night. We have to go back to school tomorrow. We know where Aftershock is staying for now and we have to keep a close eye on it."

It was at this moment Tucker's snoring broke through Sam's tirade. Danny noticed she loosened her grip on his shoulders.

"Now get some rest," she finished in a whisper. "I'll sneak over to Jazz's room before your parents wake you and Tucker up. Then we'll go to school like normal."

Her arms hung at her side now. Danny watched her walk over to the door, blocking it from the boy that has ghost powers. She cupped both hands to the side of her face, giving a silent command for Danny to go to sleep. He lay down on his bed and pulled the covers close to his chin. Sam flicked the lights and the room was dark.

* * *

The instantaneous light at six in the morning woke Sam up.

"_Stupid sun_," she thought. She began to pull her covers over her head when she heard a light knock at Danny's door.

Jazz's voice could be heard through the wood. "Sam," she said. "Are you still in there?"

Sam quietly got up and tip-toed to the door. As she opened the door, it squeaked and both girls flinched at the noise.

"Yeah, I'm here," Sam said sleepily. "Are your parents up yet?"

Jazz looked down the hall, even though their bedroom was downstairs. "No, not yet," she replied. Jazz backed away from the door a little. "Come on. I have some clothes for you to wear in my room."

"Ok," Sam said to Jazz. "I'll be there in a minute. Hold on." Trying not to wake the still sleeping boys, Sam grabbed an ecto-gun out of reflex and the clothes she was wearing last night. Without making any sound Sam miraculously made it to Jazz's room, two doors down.

Sam had been in Jazz's room a few times, but the bright colors always caught her off guard. The sun only intensified the pastels on the walls. A shirt flew out of the nearby closet and landed on Sam's arm. Sam held it up to find that it was black.

"Since when do you have a black shirt?" Sam asked. Jazz's head popped out of the closet.

"Oh, for a long time now, I guess," Jazz's cheery voice replied. It disappeared back into the closet, but the voice continued. "You can have it. I doubt I'll ever actually wear it."

"Um, thanks?" Sam said. In truth, she really liked it. It was a typical fitted t-shirt that was a little longer than most. Small yellow lines traced the shirt diagonally. She was still studying it when a pair of jeans hit Sam in the face.

"Umph!" she mumbled.

Jazz looked out to see what the problem was to find Sam standing in the middle of her room with a pair of pants on her face. She giggled at the sight. "Sorry about that. My aim's not that great."

"I've noticed," Sam mumbled taking the pants off and putting them on the floor.

The redhead came completely out of the closet to admire the outfit she had come up with. In her hands were accessories that would match perfectly.

"I'm not sure if the pants will fit you, but we'll find out," Jazz pointed out. She scooped the clothes off the floor and placed them in Sam's outstretched arms. She quickly turned her around and gave her a gently shove in the back. "Now go see how they fit," she commanded.

Sam walked into the small closet. Jazz sat down on her bed and fidgeted. A grunt could be heard from the closet. Jazz was pretty sure some of those were supposed to be cursed mumbles, but she decided to ignore them…at least for the time being. If it slipped in a conversation, she planned on casually mentioning it.

Sounds of movement stopped from within the closet. Jazz was busy studying her fingernails to notice Sam quietly step out in her new outfit. "Well," Sam asked. "What do you think?"

Jazz looked up. Her jaw fell open in surprise to the girl standing before her. It was still Sam was that ever-loving scowl, but now she was in clothes other than her Goth norm. Sure, it was still black, but it was a girly black that showed off her figure more. Jazz realized she gave Sam her skinny jeans by accident, but they looked nice. The black and yellow top cropped off at the top of her shoulders and the length extended to the top of the low waist on the jeans. Her usual combat boots were on over the jeans, but now they looked less manly. Now they actually fit with the outfit.

The redhead pretended to wipe an imaginary tear from her eye. "You look stunning," she told Sam. No smile appeared to reassure this compliment, but Jazz noticed the slight glint in her eyes. "Now if only we could do something with your hair and makeup."

Sam's hands went to protect her face. "You are not touching me with any of your beauty supplies."

"Don't worry, silly," Jazz said. "You're still going to be you. It's just going to be you in a more stylish hair and makeup." She placed her hands on Sam's shoulders similarly to how Sam did it to Danny the previous night. While balancing on her left foot, Jazz managed to wrap her foot around the leg of her small stool and drag it behind Sam. She forced her to sit down on it. As soon as she was sure Sam wouldn't more from the spot, Jazz ran to the bathroom, looking for anything needed for Sam. She came back in the room, arms full of possible makeup and accessories.

"Ok, here we go," Jazz said quietly. She dug through the pile she made on her bed. Sam peeked around her to see Jazz grab the eyeliner first.

_Finally, something familiar,_ Sam thought. Sam sat up straight as Jazz came closer with the tool.

"Now look up," Jazz commanded. The familiar brush of the eyeliner pencil could be felt under her eyes. "Now, close." Sam closed both eyes, wondering what Jazz thought of next to put on her. The feel of a makeup brush could be felt across her closed eyelids. "Open." Jazz studied the work she had done so far and nodded, assuring herself she had done a good job. She rummaged through her makeup box until she found what she was looking for: lipstick. "Purple really is a good color on you," she commented out loud to Sam.

Once again she stood back to get a better view of Sam and nodded. Jazz walked behind the sitting Sam and ruffled a little of her hair. "Now we just need something to finish off your look," Jazz said. She snapped her fingers as she said, "I've got it!" From off her dresser she grabbed three bobby pins and placed them in her mouth. A long squirting sound came from behind Sam, but she didn't know what it was.

Jazz lathered up the gel in her hands and rubbed it through Sam's hair a few times. Then section by section she scrunched it upwards, creating a wavy effect. When the scrunching was finished Jazz took the hair that was usually up in a ponytail and created a poof atop Sam's head and pinned it down.

"Finished. Go see yourself in the mirror," said Jazz, wiping the remaining gel off her hands. Knowing the Fenton house by memory proved to be a good thing at the time. Sam closed her eyes and found her way to the bathroom. As soon as she was sure her body was placed in front of the mirror she opened her eyes. Staring back at her was those same light purple eyes. The rest of her was not so familiar. Instead of the Goth girl with boots, there was still a girl in a black shirt, but this shirt showed off her figure. The skinny jeans showed off her usually pale legs. Jazz's hair stylings gave a nice shape to her face. Somehow the combat boots pulled it all together, showing a little of the old Sam.

_Damn, Jazz can do a great job at changing people,_ she thought to herself. _Just in case…_ Sam pulled one arm away from her side and reached towards the mirror. Yes, it was solid, and not a fake projection. This was how the new Sam looked.

The faintest knock could be heard. "What do you think?" asked Jazz in a whisper. Sam could picture the redhead plastering her ear to the side of the door, waiting to hear Sam's exact reaction.

"I love it. You did a great job, Jazz," Sam whispered back to the door that was between the two girls. She opened it slowly enough so it wouldn't creak with the movement. "I'm going to wake the boys now," she told Jazz. The older teen nodded in understanding and casually walked back to her room.

* * *

Before she entered into Danny's room again with her new appearance, Sam peeked between the door and its frame. From what she could tell, both boys were still asleep; Tucker actually snoring.

She walked as quietly as she could in her boots and stood in the center of the room. Danny's bed was on her right, Tucker on the floor to her left. She decided to awake Tucker first. She thought she lightly tapped him on the side, but he moaned as if she kicked to hurt. He searched for his glasses, still on the floor with his eyes closed. He put them on, wiping the crust out of his eye. Tucker tried to focus on the person in front of him. As soon as they caught glance his eyes widened to the side of dinner plates.

"Why hello, Beautiful," he spoke in a suave voice to Sam.

She crossed her arms and glared down at him. Sam gave him another soft kick in his leg. "Yeah, and nice pants, Duck Boy," she said commenting on the pants he had chosen to wear to bed.

"Ouch!" he whimpered, rubbing his leg. "That really hurt." He caught a glance at the boot that kicked him. "Hey, I recognize those boots," he said to himself. "Wait a minute…Sam?!" he noted in disbelief.

On the other side of her, Danny awoke. He too wiped the crust out of his eyes. "Tucker, what's the problem?" he asked, still obviously half asleep. He yawned before opening his eyes to the girl in front of him.

"Sam?!" he said, sitting upright and knocking the covers off him. "What happened to you?"

"Your sister did. Now phase me through your wall. I doubt your parents will be happy if they find me up here. I think they are already awake," she told Danny.

The room got silent as Danny listened to what may have been going on downstairs. The faint rattle of skillets could be heard in the kitchen. Hopefully his mother was cooking this morning. Last time Jack Fenton tried to cook, the meal almost ate him first. Something about ecto-energy escaping into the food…Danny couldn't exactly remember at the moment.

Danny hopped out of bed and stretched his arms. He grabbed Sam's arms and invisibly phased her through the wall. Gently, he placed her on the ground a story below.

She backed a few feet off of Danny's arms. "I'll be up in a few minutes," she informed Danny. She ran around the corner, giving Danny the cue to go back into his room.

* * *

Sam was standing at the front door of the Fenton house. She was counting in her head, trying to judge how long it would take Danny to get back to his room. She did leave him kind of suddenly, she realized. Deciding it had been long enough she knocked on the door.

Another redhead, years older, in a bathrobe appeared at the door.

"Good morning, Mrs. Fenton," Sam greeted her.

* * *

very long chapter, i know. but i hope you like it. i will never know unless you review! please review...

have a nice weekend!


	10. Followed

Sorry for the wait for the people that read this, but its been very hectic around here. thank god volleyball is over though. finally, i can get back to swimming. i met josh davis and larson jenson yesterday, just so you know. that basically made by month. happiest day of ever. after that went to american royal with some friends. got chapter 12 started so im hoping that'll come faster than the last ones have.

**Disclaimer: don't own danny phantom or its characters. **

**Valerie: **What are you?  
**Danny: **I'll tell you what I'm not: covered in dog saliva.

* * *

Chapter Ten

How the boys managed to get dressed on their own, Sam never knew. Only ten minutes after her "arrival" they appeared down the stairs, ready for school. Maddie Fenton had cooked Sam up some waffles and the girl was just finishing them off. She wiped her mouth as Danny and Tucker took their places at the table.

"Hi Sam. You're sure here early," Danny said. Tucker tried to fake the laugh into a cough, but failed. To compensate, he shoved a waffle in his mouth to make any sounds unheard.

It was at this time Jazz bubbled down the stairs. She sat down at the remaining empty seat and turned to Sam.

"Wow," she said with fake enthusiasm. "You look really nice."

"Yeah, well, I had some help this morning," Sam said trying to keep the conversation away from the fact that she spent the night.

Multiple comments popped into Tucker's mind. Danny recognized the face Tucker was making. It only happened when remarks were about to be said, and many of these were not nice ones, to say the least. Trying to avoid a bad situation, Danny jabbed his waffle and shoved it into Tucker's mouth too.

Maddie Fenton ignored these strange happenings. _Boys will be boys…_she thought.

Sam finished her toast and cleaned the plate off at the sink. She was anxious for the boys to stop chewing their waffles and hurry off the school. She grabbed her purple backpack and slung it around her shoulders. Standing near the front door she lightly tapped her boot on the hardwood floor. Danny heard the noise and turned to see Sam practically jumping through the front door to get out.

He picked a banana off the table and threw it at her. With her reflexes, Danny knew she would catch it. Like expected, she did, and stared down at it.

"Sam, calm down," he told her. "Eat some potassium." He went back to eating his breakfast. Tucker shoveled food in his mouth as if he had not eaten in days. He drank his milk then emptied his plates in the sink. Danny soon did likewise.

The boys grabbed their backpacks in what seemed like slow motion to Sam. She was silently urging them to move faster, but they did not pick up on her vibe. She actually thought Tucker was doing this on purpose to annoy her.

Sam fast walked them to school, cutting off five minutes from their normal time. When the high schools came into sight, she stopped and turned to Danny and Tucker. "Meet me in the gym," she ordered. Without looking to see if the boys understood, she broke into a running pace towards the school. They continued to walk normally to school.

Danny heard someone comment, "Man, is that girl ready for school or what?" He laughed out loud. _No, _he thought to himself. _She's ready for one of the epic ghost battles._

* * *

Sam made it to her locker. Figuring her school work was not important at this time, she placed every book where it was supposed to be. A locker could be heard opening down the hall. She looked to see Valerie placing books in her locker as well. The girl had not been one of Sam's better acquaintances in the past, but she knew Valerie would be a valuable aspect to the upcoming battle.

She walked towards Valerie, clenching her fists at her sides, convincing herself this was the best thing to do.

"Hey Valerie," she managed to speak confidently, despite the ongoing battle within. How was she ever going to have her help? She need a quick thought and fast.

"Umm…" Sam started. "I saw you do those moves in gym the other day. I was wondering if you could teach them to me?"

"Yeah, sure," Valerie said, a little confused. Her head tilted to the side like a dog when it's trying to figure something strange out. "What time is good for you?"

Sam grabbed Valerie's wrist. The books the girl was holding dropped immediately to the floor with a clang. "Now," Sam demanded.

At a pace faster than normal walkers, Valerie was tugged all the way to the gym. There was only one gym and it was the linking point between the two new schools. Stumbling her way to keep up with Sam, Valerie was silently wondering why the sudden need to learn martial arts. The girls burst through the doors and stopped to look around the gym.

In the center, near the Raven head emblem, stood two lone boys. Both stood with their heads bowed in such a way that their faces were covered by shadows. The lighter skinned one seemed to be angry; his fists balled up so tight they began to shiver.

The girls walked towards Danny and Tucker. Again, without their knowledge, they were being watched.

* * *

With his back turned to the hallway, Dash Baxter felt something brush against the sleeve of his letterjacket. He turned to see two girls flying through the hallway. One of them used to be in his clique.

He turned to the Latin American girl, Paulina Sanchez, and said, "What's up with Valerie and Goth Chick?"

Paulina narrowed her heavily lined eyes and watched the two girls turned the corner at such a sharp speed that Valerie almost ran straight into the edge. She noticed Valerie take one cautioned step, missing the original target by inches. That was no normal move. No ordinary person would have been able to see that before they hit, let alone completely dodge it.

She grabbed the jock's hands a little more forcefully than intended. "I don't know," she said in her heavily accented voice. "Let's follow them to find out. Shall we?"

Dash had nothing better to do. Mikey was already in a locker and Fenton could not be found in any of his usual hangouts. This was already a promising day: one of two nerds was already bullied before school even started.

He nodded to Paulina before speaking to the equally talk and bulk Asian next to him. "Kwan," he said. "Find Star. She will probably be around the corner, in the commons. We'll be looking after Valerie and Goth Chick." Another nod to Paulina signaled he was ready to lead the search.

She eagerly stomped ahead in her flats. Each step clicked on the tile floors. Even with separated schools, she was determined to keep her status high. That meant keeping in the know of important people. Valerie was definitely important at the moment. Even with the recent loss of money, she still had potential. Her points were quickly dropping by hanging out with Samantha Manson, though.

Paulina noticed Kwan and Star lounging by the lockers. This was unacceptable. They were told to meet her and Dash and help them. Not even acknowledging beforehand, Paulina grabbed both of the backs of their shirts and pulled them along. Both gave a small surprised whelp and it was met back with a low growl. Getting the message, the two others joined in their group.

_Click. Click. Click. Click. _Her steps kept in tune with the seconds on the clocks. She realized there was little time left. School would be starting soon and girls were not allowed to be in the boy's school during school hours.

A more grunted growl popped out of Paulina again. She stopped suddenly and firmly set both arms straight out. Dash, the blonde muscular jock that he was, did not expect this stop and ran his stomach into Paulina's arm. At the same time Star, the natural bleach blonde that she was, ran into Paulina's arm as well, but she ran chest first. Kwan was far enough away to react in time to stop.

Paulina turned around and looked up to the three others. "We'll finish this after school." She was not happy about unfinished business. "Dash, Kwan, escort us to the gym so we can cut through to classes," she commanded. Star resumed her spot on Paulina's left, a few paces behind. Dash and Kwan walked side by side behind the girls.

Reaching up, Paulina glanced in the gym to see if any teachers were around. It was against the rules to cut through the gym. It was for "athletic purposes only." Not a teacher she saw, but Danny Fenton, Tucker Foley, Sam, and Valerie.

"I think we found them," she noted to the others.

* * *

Jazz Fenton wasn't known to be a particularly creepy person. Actually, many students thought her slightly crazy for her love for studying. Not that they didn't socialize with her, she was very friendly. No, they talked to her, but never in a way that a true friend would. That's why she kept close to her family, especially her little brother. He needed the most protection; or so she thought. A make-the-hairs-stand-on-end feeling was spreading through her body all day. It began when she was fixing Sam's hair early this morning. With the drive to school, it slowly got worse.

That's when she decided that she would skip class today. It was a big step from the goody-twoshoes image she was known for. But she could skip classes. No teacher doubted her to fix whatever needed work on. When she arrived at school she immediately set her books in her locker. Before closing the locker door she looked inside for one object she thought might come in handy. The little disguised ecto-gun hung on a hook in the back of her organized locker.

She snapped it on her wrist and went on a search for her little brother and his two friends. It wasn't long before she saw two large jocks that she tutored on a regular basis and their attached-by-the-arm girlfriends nearby. Often they were after Danny, Sam, and Tucker.

With silent steps, she followed behind them. She figured they were on their way to the gym. Remembering the school schedule, she realized there was no first hour class for gym. It was a free space for bullying. Doubling around, she ran to block them from the west door. Checking the window, Jazz saw Danny and Tucker standing in the middle of the floor. Two girls, Sam and another girl she did not know, were walking towards them. With a side glance, Jazz saw the jocks and their girls looking through an identical window, staring at the foursome on the floor as well.

* * *

chapter 10's one of the longer ones. i hope you like it. my ap english teacher said my sentences are getting better. if you think they are, or aren't (im not one to judge reviews. i just like to read them and get better from them) then you should review. it would make a day even better after meeting the hot larson jenson...


	11. Shook Up

im sorry that i havent updated for the ppl that read this. i applause you. but volleyball ended. thank god. undefeated all season. varsity made 2nd in districts...again. boo. swim starts monday. soccer boys are going for sectionals thursday. the story is picking up too.

**Disclaimer: I am without the copyright to Danny Phantom. Butch H. has that.**

**Danny: **Sam!  
**Sam: **Danny?  
**Danny: **Is that my shirt?

* * *

Chapter Eleven

The boys in the middle of the floor looked up.

"Fenton, Tucker. What are you doing here?" Valerie asked. Sam let go of her wrist and it softly fell to her side.

She noticed Danny took a miniscule step forward. Noting the behavior of animals, this was usually a sign of dominance. His hands told otherwise. They were spread open, palm up in surrender. Danny had a pleading look to his eyes.

"We need your help," he told Valerie.

She crossed her arms stubbornly. "With what?" she asked with a tiny bit of spite. She did not like to be told what to do.

Tucker was the one to even out the space between him and Danny. His PDA showed a picture of a strange animal; one she had never seen before. Danny pointed to the screen. "This," he said.

Her face softened a little. "I don't understand," she told the two boys in front of her.

This time it was Sam's turn to step up. She also pointed to the PDA screen. "This thing is coming," she informed. "We are the only ones to stand in its way. No one else has even noticed it yet."

* * *

Paulina was tired of waiting for the geeks in the gym to do something interesting. She decided this would be the time to "spice things up." With a click, the gym door opened. She stepped in and motioned for the three others behind her to do the same. Reluctantly, they followed suit. With a soft _click click_ of her flats she calmly walked towards the center of the gym. The Goth girl (today more fashion forward, she noticed) lowered her hand from whatever she was pointing at.

Paulina rose her chin before speaking. "Valerie," she said. "What do you think you're doing with these losers?" She noticed the thin, dark haired boy silently tell the other one to put away the PDA he had out. Obviously it was of no importance to Paulina.

Valerie did not answer right away and this annoyed Paulina. "Valerie. Hello? Answer me," she said more sternly.

Valerie remembered her time in the high clique and how Paulina was never ignored. She obeyed her like a trained dog.

"Paulina, I can explain. I was standing by my locker when-" and she was cut off. The pleading look was still in her eyes as she desperately wanted to explain herself. Danny put his hand on her arm. It was outstretched towards the jocks, but slowly fell as Danny's presence almost made it limp. He lifted up his head towards the other four in front of him.

His eyes gleamed under the florescent lighting of the gymnasium. They shone like the sky on a June day without clouds.

_Those eyes really are beautiful, _thought Paulina. _I would so go out with him if he wasn't so far down the social ladder. _The ideas in her head never did make it past the shallow end of the pool. It was as if they drowned after the water became deeper.

"Paulina, now is not the time." Danny said. "Now if you could just leave…"

What little infatuation she had was gone. A bitter anger replaced it. "You can't tell me what to do, geek boy!" She started to say more rude comments, but was cut short by a rumbling. Her balance was thrown off as her arms swayed to keep her upright.

Danny saw this and levitated himself just enough to stay standing. Meanwhile, the others in the gym were forced to use their own means to stay standing. Arms wobbled, knees buckled as bodies were shaken like jello. Dash looked to Kwan for help as a small wimper came out of him. Star was left to fend for herself; no one lending her support.

Just as suddenly, it stopped. A quieted calm was over the gym. The kids in the gym didn't know it, but the calm was all over the town as well.

Valerie was the first to speak. "What was-" she began before another shock took the town by surprise: this one larger than the first. Danny was not expecting another shock so soon; he fell like the others.

* * *

Jazz was surprised by the earthquake. It was small, but the realization took her more than the actual thing. Amity Park never got earthquakes. It stopped. She looked through her window to see the kids in the gym looking around. Most of them look scared, she observed.

Another shock came soon after. This one, more powerful than the first, set Jazz on her knees. Trying to keep balanced, she grabbed for the door. With her luck, it happened to be a swinging door. She fell flat on her face. Half of her body was visible to anyone in the gym, the other half of her was sprawled out in the hallway where she once was. She did a quick once-over of herself. Nothing was broken. As soon as she lifted up her head she was greeted with eight pairs of eyes. The same eyes she was looking upon a few moments ago.

* * *

alright thats it. more chapters to come. please comment bc i miss reviews....


	12. Faces

this story will be on delay for a while. as soon as finals are over i promise to continue...at least with something. maybe start a new story w/ static shock? yes. that's what ill do.

**Disclaimer: **don't own dp.

**Dash: **Another day, another twenty-four hours closer to a career of pumping gas.  
**Kwan: **At least you'll have a job. Apparently, I'm gonna end up a hobo. I didn't even know they _had_ hobos anymore!

* * *

Chapter Twelve

The ground still shook, but Jazz was grateful she was under a doorway. She held her head in her hands, still lying on her stomach, and waited for the shock to pass. The floor she was on stopped shaking, if only for the moment. Jazz Fenton looked up to see the other students in the gym doing the same as her. Danny was the first to remember she had fallen in the doorway.

"Jazz," he shouted. He began to run to her, but Jazz had already started to get up. She was like her brother in the respect that she did not want to seem weak in front of others. She held onto his arm as she stood up.

"Danny, what are all of you doing here?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

He looked around to see if anyone was close to hear. "There's ghost activity under the gym. Sam brought Valerie. Paulina, Dash, Kwan, and Star followed her, I guess," he said in her ear so no one could hear.

Danny's body tensed up, his eyes wide.

Jazz was nervous now. "Danny, what is it?" she asked him, still holding onto his arm.

"It's coming," he replied. His eyes were open so much they looked like sky blue saucers. He shook his head. Danny's hand came up to his head to hold it. "I can feel it, Jazz," he explained. "Another big quake is coming. I need to go ghost." With that he ran out of the gym. Jazz stood there wondering what he planned to do.

* * *

Danny quickened his pace as he ran through the halls. He needed a place to go ghost and fast. Aftershock was sending ghostly ripples through the ground. His ghost energy was listening to the shocks, like they were sending messages. It seemed to say _Get out, quick; something will happen_, but Danny shook it off. _Ghosts can't talk through ecto-waves_, he thought to himself.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the overweight teacher casually standing in the hallway. Almost too conveniently it would have seemed, if Danny would have taken the time to notice.

"Gone With the Wind, Mr. Fenton," shouted Mr. Lancer. His bald head gleamed in the florescent lighting. "Where do you think you are going?"

Danny figured he had to lie to his teacher. This wasn't anything new; he had been lying to all of his teachers for over a year now…since the accident. Even so, Danny never did feel good about his actions, though. He knew the end justified the mean, but his conscience never was fully clear.

Danny began to fake a stomach sickness. He hunched over and grabbed his stomach. He moaned a little to complete the act. Danny looked up, hoping his blue eyes would connect with Mr. Lancer's. "Uhh," he moaned again. "I don't feel so well, Mr. Lancer.

The teacher held a questioning look, but couldn't have a student get sick in his hallways. They were hard enough to keep clean, what with all the ghost attacks. "Ok," the teacher complied. "Be sure to walk a little slower. There is not a marathon being run through this hallway."

Mr. Lancer continued to stare at Danny uncomfortably. The dark haired teen was the first of the two to break the gaze. His back relaxed a little, but he still held his stomach. "Thanks," he told his teacher.

He walked away from his teacher in the way of the bathroom. He thought he heard Mr. Lancer whisper something along the lines of "I'm sorry, Billy." Before he had time to question it, Danny felt two small probes touch him squarely in the back and electrocute him. Blackness surrounded his vision and he passed out in the hallway.

* * *

With Danny Fenton lying on his stomach in front of him, Mr. Lancer decided to pocket the Plasmius Maximus. Turning the dial to low was the last thing he could do to possibly help Danny. The overweight teacher looked around to see if anyone was watching this scene play out. He took the teenager by his ankles and dragged him to the closest classroom without large windows.

Danny didn't make a sound the entire time. He was unconscience. _That thing really does work well, _Mr. Lancer observed. He took the device out of his pocket. It was nothing more than a tiny black box with two probes. How it could pack such a punch, he would never know.

Finally deciding he had enough fun being Mr. Lancer the ghost changed formed. He turned to his natural shape: a faceless ghost, with staff and overcoat known to many by Amorpho. He wore the same blinking collar that Aftershock did.

He pushed one button that acted like a speaker. "My bargain's finished, boss," said Amorpho.

That same commanding voice replied back to Amorpho. "Very good," it said. The arrogant, condescending tone was ever more present than now. "Leave the boy there. You may return to me to get your neutralizer collar detached." Like a phone call, the voice hung up, signaling the end of the conversation.

Amorpho smiled. He could taste his very freedom now. He would worry about Danny Phantom later. Danny was a tough young man. He could take care of himself…hopefully.

* * *

alright. chapter 13s coming up. then a very long delay. sorry. happy holidays!


	13. Searching for Something

let the delay begin!

**Disclaimer: **are without copyright to dp.

**Vlad: **Personalized gift baskets?  
**Danny: **You're up to something...  
**Vlad: **Oh, you think?

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Jazz cautiously walked towards the other teens in the gym. None of them were in her class, but she knew Sam and Tucker well enough. She could just hang with them until Danny got back.

Everyone stood silent. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz seemed to be having a conversation between the three of them, but with their eyes. Valerie stood alone. Her stance was tense, ready for a fight. That's what months of ghost hunting had done to her. Even with her father's knowledge at her "job" she still managed to get ghosts every night, except that one…

Dash and Kwan, the big lettered jocks that they were, held onto each other for dear life. Starr held onto Paulina's arm. Paulina also stood tense, but from different experiences than Valerie. To be queen bee you had to be the strongest. The strong were not weak, and now was the perfect time to act strong. Her Spanish eyes gazed over the gym, looking for anything that could provide her with power over the others. She noticed a change in their situation.

"Where's your little boyfriend?" she asked the Goth geek.

"He's not my boyfriend," Sam answered back tiredly. She glanced around the gym, searching for her friend. He was nowhere to be seen. She looked at Tucker who was oblivious to his surroundings.

Tucker Foley, techo-geek that he was, had his PDA out and running. A news channel could be heard coming from it. Sam peered over his shoulder to watch how the rest of Amity Park was holding up. A cheery lady in dyed blonde hair was on the screen.

"Shockwaves have been rippling through the city throwing off balances, and crumbling the foundations of some buildings. Now to Lance out in the field," she said. A clip cut to a large man with spoofed up blonde hair holding a microphone.

"Thanks Tiffany," said Lance. "I'm here at Amity Bank where several vaults have been cracking. Builders are here to quickly stitch up the faults. There is no word on when the next shockwave will be." Behind Lance Thunder, many men in blue overalls were on ladders plastering the walls. What few citizens left in the bank could be seen at the corner of the camera being rushed out. "Back to you, Tiffany."

Sam had enough. They needed to find Danny. She jabbed Tucker in his side with her elbow. That got his attention. "Ow," he said. He rubbed the area where he had been hit.

"Tucker," Sam whispered. "Turn that off. We need to find Danny. He should have been back by now." She looked back over the crowd that had gathered in the gym. "Umm," Sam said to the kids. "We'll be right back. Jazz and Valerie, look over them." She grabbed Tucker's collar and stomped towards the exit.

Paulina was not to be outdone for queen around here. "Why are _they_ in charge?" she asked in a snippy tone.

Sam was now thoroughly exasperated with Paulina. She stopped walking and turned to face the other kids. "Because Paulina," Sam said. Her voice dripped with disgust at saying Paulina's name. "We live in Amity Park. Nothing happens in Amity Park unless it's ghostly related. We are best friends with the kid who lives with ghost hunting experts. At the moment he is missing. Now we are going to search for him." She ended her little monologue with a death glare in Paulina's direction. The girl stood there, dumbfounded. That was twice now today she had been stood up to. Sam took this as a message that she understood the lecture she had just given. With that, she once again grabbed Tucker's collar and continued on her way to find Danny.

* * *

Tucker had followed Sam through the halls searching for their best friend. She no longer held onto his collar; he walked on his own with his PDA in his pocket.

They opened another classroom door, finding the room empty. "Too bad we don't have the BOOmerang," commented Tucker. "That Fenton invention could find Danny in a snap."

Sam began to get frustrated. The sooner she found Danny, the sooner this ordeal would end, or so she thought. He was her hope during these ghost attacks. She could hold her own one-on-one with a ghost (a weaker one at least), but this Aftershock was a new one to Team Phantom. There was no telling what power this creature held. No telling what destruction it could create….

"We don't need the BOOmerange," replied Sam in a snippy tone. "We need to find Danny."

"More like you need to find Danny," Tucker said. The room was empty. They continued to walk down the halls searching the rooms. "You latch onto him over every ghost problem. He's like a security blanket to you." Tucker threw his arms wildly in the air. Now he was getting frustrated. The three of them had this conversation multiple times and it always ended the same. "More like he's a boyfriend to you," Tucker muttered under his breath.

Sam still heard the last part. She hit him in the arm. "Danny and I are just friends!" she exclaimed. "We're just friends," she repeated a little softer. They walked down the rest of the hall in silence.

* * *

The shocks were rippling through the town of Amity Park by now. Every glass wobbled on the shelves. Children's building blocks were thrown to the ground. A normal person would wait the shock out and consider it over. The Fenton family was not a normal family.

Jack Fenton, adorned in his typical day-glow orange jumpsuit, leaped down to their lab (which was actually the family basement) to find his wife, Maddie Fenton, leaning over a metal table. The table was stained the color of ectoplasm: a neon, almost glowing orange. No one in the household saw this green table as abnormal. Most of the lab by now was a slight shade green.

"Maddie!" he shouted excitedly. His voice echoed off the walls of their lab. "There's a ghost loose! But it won't be for much longer once Jack Fenton gets on the streets!" His face was now chiseled to pure determination. One fist was up in the air, physically demonstrating his anger towards ghosts.

"Now hold on just one minute, Jack," said Maddie in a smaller tone. Her voice was sweet and kind, like Judy Cleaver. The main difference was that Maddie was always stocked in her aqua blue jumpsuit. Her hood to the jumpsuit was up, covering her hair and putting bright red goggles over her eyes. "I just had to fix and rejuice some weapons. Grab some and let's hop in the Ghost Assault Vechicle!"

"Oh boy!" said Jack. This was his favorite part. The adrenaline was building in his body and he felt ghost invincible with his perfected Fenton inventions. He bounded up the stairs two at a time after his wife.

Once buckled, Jack turned on the Fenton Ghost Tracker to see where the ghostly menace was coming from. A bleep appeared on the screen above where the Casper Highs were.

"To Casper!" Jack screamed. His foot hit the floor, letting the Fenton GAV leave tire marks and loud screeches behind them.

* * *

as i quote the joker from the dark knight (which i really want for xmas!) i assume the beginning of my delay.

"and here we GO!" --joker


End file.
